Why High-Performing AI Fails the Human Test

With AI technology (particularly language models) performing increasingly well in traditional measures of expert knowledge such as medical licensing exams or the assessment of research environments, many are now considering how to deploy “out in the world” so that they can assist customers, patients, public services users, and so on. If yes, there is the potential to move … Continue reading Why High-Performing AI Fails the Human Test

Algorithms as the problem vs the solution to discrimination in the digital age

We know that algorithms are everywhere, from curating our news and social media feeds, to scoring our job and credit applications. And many have warned that algorithms deepen unfairness. For instance, in 2021, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) released a report breaking down how algorithms may harm consumers and markets, because they can: Personalise prices … Continue reading Algorithms as the problem vs the solution to discrimination in the digital age

The Algorithmic Transparency Paradox: Accountability vs Behaviour Distortion

When we don’t know that an algorithm has been used to make a decision that impacts us, we can’t challenge those decisions, or fix any mistakes. According to Anne-Britt Gran, Peter Booth and Taina Bucher, such lack of awareness constitutes a new form of digital divide: “Not only does a lack of algorithm awareness pose … Continue reading The Algorithmic Transparency Paradox: Accountability vs Behaviour Distortion

Capturing human complexity in categories

I suspect that we have all had the experience of filling in a form and not finding a box that exactly describes us. That’s because those forms are trying to fit us into neat categories, whereas our identities, behaviours and preferences are often fluid, contextual, and relational. So, there is a clash between the managerial … Continue reading Capturing human complexity in categories

Why Influencer Marketing Roles Are Rising While Creative Jobs Are Declining

A recent analysis of nearly 180 million global job postings from 2023 to 2025, by Henley Wing Chiu at Bloomberry, reveals an interesting split in labour market trends. Execution-focused, creative jobs are experiencing steep declines. For instance, in the two years covered by this analysis, computer graphic artist roles are down by 33%, writer roles … Continue reading Why Influencer Marketing Roles Are Rising While Creative Jobs Are Declining

The global footprint of generative AI

Recently, I came across the Cartography of Generative AI, a fabulous resource created by the Estampa group. Image source: https://cartography-of-generative-ai.net This resource shows how chatbots and other gen Ai interfaces are part of a dense, intricate and vast global system of physical resources, human labour, data flows, and economic structures. The right area of graph … Continue reading The global footprint of generative AI

Key points from OECD’s report on Generative AI and SMEs

A new report from the OECD sheds light on how more than 5,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across seven countries (Austria, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Korea, and the UK) are engaging with generative AI. This is an important report because while SMEs form the backbone of most economies, much of the of the discussion … Continue reading Key points from OECD’s report on Generative AI and SMEs

The Rise of AI-Enhanced Scams — and How to Protect Yourself

I was recently interviewed by the BBC about the use of AI-generated images in scam websites. The story followed reports that a small jeweller was being inundated with calls and emails from customers mistaking her legitimate business (Scarlett Jewellery) for a scam website with a very similar name (Scarlett Jewels). One of the features of … Continue reading The Rise of AI-Enhanced Scams — and How to Protect Yourself

The role of emotions in B2B marketing

We often assume that emotions play little to no role in business-to-business (B2B) relationships. Rather, decisions in a B2B context are deemed to be purely rational, and to follow a complex process with multiple decision makers. Yet, a metanalysis of research on this topic, conducted by Anne-Madeleine Kranzbühler, Alfred Zerres, Mirella H. P. Kleijnen and … Continue reading The role of emotions in B2B marketing

LLMs reflect data about how people believe the world to be, not data about how the world is

It is widely acknowledged that answers produced by large language models (LLMs) reproduce the biases that informed how they were trained. For instance, assuming that doctors are male while nurses are female. Though, that bias doesn’t simply reflect the systemic inequality in our society. Rather, it reflects the prevalent stereotypes, that is the type of image commonly … Continue reading LLMs reflect data about how people believe the world to be, not data about how the world is